Temperament Articles

Medically reviewed by Andrea Brant, LMHC

Temperament generally refers to an individual’s unique nature, including their habitual emotional and behavioral responses to life. Differences in temperament can influence how someone responds to the world and to various situations they encounter. Learning more about temperament can help you understand how to respond to other people’s mannerisms and acknowledge them in a healthy way. For further insight into your temperament, consider working with a licensed therapist online or in person.

Understanding why temperament matters

Understanding human temperament in more detail can help you recognize why people respond differently to the world around them. Temperament essentially refers to one’s natural mood and pattern of behavior. By exploring how someone naturally thinks, feels, and acts, you may be able to predict how they will react to various situations and circumstances.

Several different people can go through the same situation, but their responses to the experience can often vary. For example, one might respond with fear, while another is calm. Further still, one may withdraw, while another throws themselves into the action. Even the adaptability, resilience, and persistence of a person can be determined through their temperament.

Recognizing the different types of temperaments can give you some indication of how a person may respond to you or to others. This can help you prepare in advance for certain situations or practice greater empathy when confronted with emotions that you don’t understand.

Why you should learn about your temperament

Understanding your own temperament can be important. It can teach you about how much energy you have, whether you’ll be able to focus on a task, or if you’ll be bothered by certain stimuli. It can even help you figure out if you need a routine in life, or if you function more efficiently without one. Different temperaments can require different manners of living, none of which is necessarily more or less healthy than the others.

Learning about your own temperament can help you understand how and why you respond in various situations. Having a deeper understanding of yourself may enable you to react in a manner that’s healthy and beneficial, rather than unhelpful and damaging. You may feel more in control of yourself, your circumstances, and your life in general when you understand your temperament.

Parents, children, and temperament

Parents can often struggle to understand their children, especially at certain stages of life, such as when they’re teenagers. Temperament may explain how and why your child reacts to the stimuli around them. Learning more about your child’s temperament may allow you to figure out why they think, feel, and act as they do. You can then take what you learn and apply it to real-life circumstances.

For example, a child’s temperament can tell you how sensitive they are to change. If you know your child is sensitive to change, you can slowly integrate them into new things and help eliminate distractions that may be bothering them.

Many parents think their child may be acting out, when in reality, their temperament may be impacting their behavior. Simple adjustments, like creating a routine for a child who doesn’t have one, may alleviate some tension. Other examples could include adding physical activity into the life of a child who can’t sit still or finding hobbies for a child who needs a creative outlet. A parent’s ability to understand the temperament of their child can make a powerful difference in the relationship they share. 

Temperament disorders

Temperament disorders can be a struggle for many children, especially because a child’s nature can be difficult to change. While parents may not be able to alter their child’s temperament, there are steps they can take to manage it. If you’re the parent of a child with a temperament disorder, you can seek support from professionals who may offer you resources, tools, and guidance for moving forward.

The types of temperaments

In general, there are four different types of temperaments. Sanguine tends to be the most common and normally means that an individual is both talkative and active. Next is pragmatic, which usually means that someone tends to be more introverted but still works cooperatively with others. Pragmatic individuals might be more passive and may not have as much ambition as sanguine individuals.

Melancholy individuals are usually cautious and interested in the details of a situation. They also tend to be perfectionists. Finally, the choleric personality typically makes goals and sticks to them, is driven, and faces opposition with confidence.

The temperament articles featured on BetterHelp normally go into the different traits of each of the four temperament types. They may also discuss how each one has different orientations and characteristics. There are some parts of each temperament that can cause challenges for certain individuals, and our articles may discuss how to overcome these potential challenges.

The benefits of certain temperaments

Each temperament can have its own unique strengths and flaws. By understanding your temperament more deeply, you may be able to discover how to use it to your advantage. While you cannot always control or change your nature, you can take steps to manage it and find ways to use it to help you prosper in life.

Meshing with different temperaments

You may learn how to get along with people who have different temperaments by reading the featured articles. Someone with a choleric temperament might need different tips for interacting with an individual with a sanguine temperament, and vice versa. You can learn helpful ways to interact with others without experiencing as much difficulty. 

Often, people can struggle to get along with others because of their differences in temperaments. However, when you learn how to work together despite your unique natures, it may allow you to experience more peace in your life. You may also have healthier, deeper relationships with other people. This isn’t just for parents with children, but for business professionals trying to work together, and even those in romantic relationships. Learning how to harness this energy can help anyone who is willing to put in the work.

Getting help with temperament challenges

While everyone may have a different temperament, not everyone may experience daily challenges because of it. If your temperament is interrupting your daily life, it can be helpful to speak with a therapist about the challenges you’re facing. By working with a therapist, you may be able to develop new ways to establish a healthier, more stable temperament over time.

Benefits of online therapy

Speaking about sensitive problems that are affecting you and those around you can be difficult. Online therapy can provide you with the privacy and comfort you may need to be fully transparent. You can connect in a variety of ways according to what feels most comfortable for you, such as video call, phone call, and online chat, potentially making mental health care more accessible than ever before.

Effectiveness of online therapy

Online therapy can be an effective method for overcoming challenges associated with different kinds of temperaments. One study assessed the efficacy of Internet treatment for anger management. Researchers found that “four weeks of therapy delivered over the internet can help people with anger and aggression,” showing the effectiveness of online therapy for managing challenges that can be related to temperament.

Takeaway

Different kinds of people can have various temperaments, which may cause their interactions with the world to vary. Sometimes, these temperament differences may be due to mental health conditions or past life experiences. In any case, when someone’s temperament begins to interfere with their daily functioning, it can be important to seek help. Working with an online therapist can help individuals move past the struggles that may be holding them back in life.